Dynamite Downloads

Forget pricey shrink-wrapped software. We uncover 25 shareware and freeware gems--from office workhorses to must-have Web utilities and handheld apps.

Just as a cup of coffee in the afternoon can put a little pep in your step, the right download can give your PC some added zip. We've located 20 freeware and shareware programs that promise help with an array of functions, from backing up your data to managing your MP3 files. Every program that we recommend costs $30 or less and is a complete application--not a trial version of a more expensive software package. We've also evaluated each program's ease of use, features, and overall value.

Of course, downloading programs from the Internet is sometimes a perilous process, and many programs can be downright hazardous to your PC. In " The Dark Side of Downloading," we look at the sorts of programs to avoid and explain what you can do to protect yourself. And finally, we pinpoint five downloadable programs that your PC shouldn't go without. Download any of the programs listed here.

Business/Personal Productivity

Take a look at these helpful productivity applications, which range from an e-mail program to a synonym finder. One of these downloads could be just the tool you've been yearning for.

Easy E-Mail

Delta Mail, 76KB, $12

Two words people rarely use when describing e-mail software: simple and safe. Delta Mail's clean interface recalls the days when e-mail clients weren't cluttered with icons, toolbars, and menus. And the program is as easy to set up as it is to use: Just enter your SMTP and POP3 servers, your e-mail address, and your user name and password. But what really sets Delta Mail apart is its automatic encryption of outgoing messages (including the subject line and attachments) using a 256-bit algorithm that doesn't require digital IDs. You also get protection from many e-mail viruses simply because most virus writers target Outlook and Outlook Express.

--Dennis O'Reilly

View That Document

MakePDF for Word 3.1, 1.7MB, $30

Maybe you need to convert your heavily formatted Microsoft Word documents to Adobe's Portable Document Format so people who don't have Word running on their PCs can read them, but you can't justify spending $249 for Adobe Acrobat. MakePDF for Word is a less expensive (albeit less functional) alternative for people like you. Copy the MakePDF.dot template into your Word Startup folder to add a MakePDF toolbar to Word. Click the toolbar's 'Print to PDF' button to create a PDF version of the Word file and save it to the folder of your choice. You get a range of encryption and file-compression options, but you don't get Acrobat's internal links, bookmarks, and other advanced features.

--Dennis O'Reilly

Maintain Contact

Wordware Personal Information Manager 2002a, 602KB, $24

A cottage industry has developed around utilities that add functions Microsoft neglected to provide in Word. One of the most useful of these gap fillers is Wordware PIM, a simple program that introduces to Word a menu command (to the right of Help), along with a single-button toolbar, that leaves your personal and business contacts' e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and other information just a click away. That click opens a dialog box where you can arrange to enter, edit, and delete contacts and their information; import and export data; create envelopes and mailing labels; send faxes; and even generate reports. Anyone who has struggled with the bulky Outlook interface will appreciate Wordware PIM's clean, simple look. The program does lack some features available in stand-alone PIMs, but if Word is your primary productivity tool, an integrated contact manager like this may be all the PIM you need.

--Dennis O'Reilly

My Notes Are Here Somewhere

TexNotes, 2.6MB, $15

For people who use Microsoft Word or Notepad as a scratch pad to scribble down quick notes, TexNotes represents a flexible alternative that allows you to track your note-keeping. The program lets you organize files and documents in different "notebooks," which it saves to your hard drive and lists in an Explorer-style browser along the right side of the screen for easy retrieval. You can add new files and documents by clicking a button. Each new note is a blank, white page; but a Microsoft Office-style toolbar lets you format your notes however you like, with different fonts, styles, and backgrounds.

--Lisa Cekan

At a Loss for Words?

Idea Magic, 1.92MB, $20

If you're dissatisfied with the word choices offered by Microsoft Word's Thesaurus tool, this program is for you. Idea Magic finds synonyms from a database of 30,000 words, and it works in Word, Notepad, WordPad, and even Excel. When you select a word for it to search on, it identifies the word's various contexts in one pane and provides a list of synonyms for the selected context in another pane. For instance, typing in slippery brings up contexts such as "smoothness" and "improbity," along with synonyms for the currently selected context. Now the right words won't escape you.

--Kalpana Narayanamurthi

Utilities/Add-Ons

Think of these handy utilities and program add-ons as the tonic your PC needs to acquire some performance verve.

Back It Up

Handy Backup, 1.36MB, $30

Everyone should back up data on a regular basis, but it's such a Herculean task that we tend to put it off. Enter Handy Backup, an easy-to-use utility that employs a nifty wizard to guide you through the process. You can back up to your hard drive, to another computer on a LAN, to your CD-RW drive, or to an FTP site. You can set the program to back up daily, weekly, or monthly at a specific time. You can even instruct the program to encrypt your data using 128-bit encryption. The simple interface is so user-friendly, you might actually find yourself backing up your PC regularly.

--Kalpana Narayanamurthi

Stay Healthy

AntiVir Personal Edition, 3.45MB, free

Antivirus software has become an essential utility that every PC needs to have installed. For the best protection and easiest controls, we recommend Symantec's Norton AntiVirus ($50). If your budget is tight, however, you'll want to consider AntiVir Personal Edition. This simple but very effective antivirus application provides real-time protection by scanning a file every time it gets accessed. The program also lets you scan entire drives--but not individual files or folders--on demand. With AntiVir's basic scheduler and a little tinkering, you can also set up regularly occurring program updates, though not automatic drive scans (as you can with Norton AntiVirus).

--Seán Captain

Antivirus Fire Drill

EICAR Standard Anti-Virus Test File, 68KB, free

The best time to learn how your antivirus scanner works most assuredly isn't in the middle of an attack. Fortunately, you can run your PC through a test using the EICAR Anti-Virus Test File, a small program that antivirus vendors list in their virus definition databases. The Test File shows you how your scanner will react to a bona fide infection and lets you familiarize yourself with the warning messages and dialog boxes you'll have to navigate. Once you know the ropes, you won't be caught off-guard when forced to deal with a real virus attack.

--Seán Captain

Make Photos Feel Manipulated

SuperBladePro, 4.1MB, $30

All image editing applications come with vast assortments of filters for jazzing up photos. But many of them don't allow you to tweak the filters. Though SuperBladePro is really a surface and texture generator plug-in, it can work as a self-contained image editor. Start it from within your image editing app (it works with any image editing program that accepts Adobe Photoshop-compatible plug-ins, including Photoshop Elements, Jasc Paint Shop Pro, and Ulead PhotoImpact), and you can bend, twist, and color-shift for hours. Play with settings like Glassiness, Iridescence, and Glare; induce Rain, Evaporation, and Grit. A collection of single-function plug-ins capable of doing all this would definitely cost a mint.

--Alan Stafford

Shoo, Ads, Don't Bother Me

AdsGone Pop Up Killer, 2.53MB, $19

Pop-up ads can drive you crazy, especially when you spend more time closing them than perusing the Web page you intended to visit. AdsGone runs while you browse the Web with either Internet Explorer or AOL, and it blocks pop-ups before they appear. You can configure the program to block banner ads, too, and you can alter settings by adding ad servers to or removing them from the blocking list. The easy-to-use interface has a status bar that lists how many ads have been blocked, as well as a logging button that provides information about each ad. Not having to scoot your pointer around the screen closing unwanted windows will make you a much happier Web surfer.

--Kalpana Narayanamurthi

Spinning Images

PanoStitcher, 6.2MB, $30

Pixtra's PanoStitcher is the best of several inexpensive applications you can use to create 360-degree panoramic images. (Better, more-sophisticated programs typically cost hundreds of dollars.) PanoStitcher doesn't have all the features the pricey packages do; but it's fast and relatively easy to use, and it produces acceptable results. Use PanoStitcher to create QuickTime VR panoramas that you can spin and zoom in on with your mouse, or to stitch together a composite.jpg image, as well as a Web page to display either. A special tripod head will improve your panoramas, but PanoStitcher works with freehand shots, too. The demo version is fully functional, except that it watermarks "Pixtra"over the entire image. The $30 version omits the watermark.

--Alan Stafford

Go Online, Offline

WinHTTrack Website Copier 3.15, 2.4MB, free

Whether you want to preserve a copy of some research information or back up your own Web site, this handy utility can do the trick. WinHTTrack Website Copier lets you copy or mirror entire Web sites; and while the interface isn't particularly inviting or user-friendly (neophytes may wish to consult the instructive online help), it does suffice to walk you through how to copy a site or pages. You can set various parameters (say, whether to include images; whether to exclude specific URLs; and whether to stay within the URL domain). The efficient software notifies you of problems it encounters, and it handled with aplomb the JavaScript code on one of the sites we downloaded.

--Melissa J. Perenson

Log Me In, Please

AI RoboForm, 609KB, free

If you find yourself writing down all your log-in names and passwords on little pieces of paper so you won't forget them, AI RoboForm can put your house in order. In your browser, RoboForm installs various hot buttons that you can click to automatically fill in Web-based forms and to enter log-in names and passwords instantly. You must supply the program with your name, date of birth, address, phone numbers, and any other date you want to store. To fill out a form, click the Fill Forms button; the program will fill in the blanks using the information you've provided. RoboForm uses Passcards to store your log-in names and passwords. The program can manage multiple users because each Passcard is password-protected; to access and change your information, you must remember your Passcard password.

--Kalpana Narayanamurthi

Play Music Your Way

MP3 WAV Converter 2.6, 2.6MB, $20

When it comes to digital music, sometimes you want the compactness of MP3s, and sometimes you want the quality of a CD. MP3 WAV Converter makes it easy to have both. By changing.wav music files into.mp3 files, the program reduces them to roughly a tenth of their original size; it converts MP3s to.wav format for playback on standard CD players. MP3 WAV Converter also doubles as an audio player, minus the fancy skins and light shows most players have these days. The program completes its conversions in seconds, and it allows you to convert and play batches of files at the same time. Any.wav files converted into.mp3 format are automatically normalized to a consistent volume level.

--Dennis O'Reilly

Mood Music

MoodLogic 2.0, 3MB, $30

It doesn't take much to throw your MP3 collection into disarray. A download here, a ripped CD there--and before you know it, your library is full of files with misspelled song titles and recordings attributed variously to "Simon and Garfunkel" and to "Simon & Garfunkel." MoodLogic automates the process of fixing ID3 tags and organizing digital music (MP3, WMA, and.wav) in bulk. Once the files are organized, you can sort your music by genre, artist, tempo, or mood (aggressive, mellow, upbeat, happy, romantic, sad), and create playlists accordingly. Musical mood information is culled from MoodLogic's database, which is populated by songs profiled by users. If your songs aren't already profiled, though, you must manually complete the five-screen profiling process to add each song to a MoodLogic playlist.

--Melissa J. Perenson

Handhelds

You can load these PDA programs, which range from a file manager to simple games, onto either your Palm OS PDA or your Pocket PC device.

Palm OS Downloads

File Finder

FilePoint, 894KB, $30

The more applications, documents, and games you add to your Palm OS PDA, the more you realize that it desperately needs a good file management tool. FilePoint lets you organize and find Palm apps, documents, and files with drag-and-drop ease. This utility simplifies creating folders, launching programs, tracking recently used files, and (especially) moving files to and from expansion memory cards. A $50 deluxe version, FilePoint Pro, extends this functionality from the PDA to the PC desktop. Each time you resync, any drag-and-drop changes you made in PC file and folder locations are updated accordingly on your Palm OS device. Now why didn't Palm think of that?

--Michael S. Lasky

Let's Make a Date

Palm DualDate, 282KB, free

The Palm date book that comes standard on Palm OS handhelds is a single calendar for tracking appointments and reminders only. Palm DualDate expands on those solo capabilities by letting you and other DualDate users send, receive, and synchronize calendars--so, for instance, you and an associate can more easily locate a time when you both are free for lunch.

The enhanced screen views include side-by-side calendars on the same page to complement the original single view. You also get handy user options for maintaining privacy by limiting the data sent or received to your specifications. Though DualDate will work on both monochrome and color screens, color is better for differentiating between twin calendars, especially in monthly views. You can switch between solo and dual calendar views with a single icon tap.

--Michael S. Lasky

A Gem of a Game

Bejeweled, 68KB, $15

Ultimately, simple games wind up being the most popular--like Bejeweled for the Palm. Bejeweled is highly addictive, combining the beguiling style of classic Tetris with its own unique puzzle. Five types of gems randomly drop into an 8 by 8 array; you play by tapping two adjacent dissimilar gems so they trade places. The object is to switch the gems' positions so that three or more matching gems align horizontally or vertically, causing them to disappear. As the matched sets fade out, random gems fall from the top to replace them. Color graphics and animation are sharp and lively, but you can play Bejeweled in gray scale on a monochrome Palm OS device as well. For a heart-pounding experience, switch to the caffeinated, timed game mode. Just don't plan to get very much work done.

--Michael S. Lasky

Pocket PC Downloads

Tap Once to Remember

Pocket Informant, 2.6MB, $20

Pocket PC PDAs come with built-in applications for scheduling appointments and maintaining contacts and to-do lists. Pocket Informant improves on these tasks by integrating them. For instance, if you want to make sure you don't forget a friend's birthday, you can create an alarm that links to your friend's name, letting you see the details for that entry. The app's excellent task manager allows you to filter tasks to view the matters that require immediate attention.

--Richard Baguley

Burst Your Bubble

Bubblets, 82KB, $15

In this seemingly simple game, five colors of "bubbles" are randomly placed on a grid. You play by clicking on a bubble; it and every adjacent bubble of the same color pops. The more you pop at once, the more points you get. When you pop the bubbles, ones above sink into the available spaces, and others waft down from above those; if you can maneuver the bubbles together to form bigger blocks, you score more points.

--Richard Baguley

All-Stars

Looking for the very best downloads a little money can buy? Don't overlook these five must-have tools and utilities.

1. Ad-aware: 872KB, free

   Protect your privacy and prevent the system crashes that secretly downloaded ads sometimes cause.

2. Cookie Crusher: 325KB, $15

   Set this tool to accept or reject cookies; use it to determine whether cookies are tracking your Web surfing, as well.

3. Winamp: 1.97MB, free

   This customizable media player saves playlists and equalizer settings.

4. WinZip: 1.76MB, $29

   This easy-to-use compression utility makes the task of sharing and moving files uncomplicated.

5. ZoneAlarm: 2.78MB, free

   Use this firewall program to protect your Internet connection and dramatically reduce its vulnerability to hackers.

The Dark Side of Downloading

If you've ever used the popular file-sharing program Kazaa, you probably know that copies of its downloaded client software contained code that would have enabled the program to take over your PC's processor and storage space on your hard drive for a planned distributed-computing network.

Many downloaded programs contain elements that can be harmful to your PC. Fortunately, you can take a few measures to protect yourself and ensure that the programs you download aren't performing tasks you're unaware of.

Adware and spyware are the two most widespread insidious elements that a download can contain. Adware--which installs itself on your PC during the download process--puts links and ads on Web pages that you visit, without your knowledge or consent. Spyware monitors your system information and your Web browsing patterns, and then uses your Internet connection to send that information to advertisers.

According to Jason Catlett, president of Junkbusters, there is no easy way to determine whether a program contains adware or spyware. He cautions against trusting any program. "Remember that once a program starts running on your PC, it can do anything with anything on your computer. You wouldn't give the keys to your house to a stranger," he says.

To defend yourself against potential problems with a download, Catlett advises taking the following steps:

• Check whether the download is listed on Spychecker.com, a site with a database of over 1000 freeware and shareware programs that contain spyware or adware.
• Investigate software packages before downloading them. Examine professional reviews of download programs, and peruse user testimonials.
• Use Lavasoft's Ad-aware, a freeware utility that scans your system's Registry and hard drive for spyware components.
• Consider using Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm, a free firewall program that will notify you if a program starts "phoning home" or attempts to send outbound information back to an advertiser over your Internet connection.
• Uninstall a program if you suspect it of being malicious. Most programs include an uninstall feature; look for it in the file description or the program's feature list.

--Kalpana Narayanamurthi